Okay, I've watched the video twice now and am going to be honest with what I say. Before starting on this, please note that I am aware of the stream station lag that the players complained about at NEC, so it may have had some effect on how these fights went, but only you and Tetra can confirm that.
The first match, Kitana vs. Baraka:
There were a couple of times where you attempted to punish a blocked Blade Charge using Kitana's f2 1 and it got blocked. Do not try that ever again, instead punish with 2 1 Fan Lift. Depending on the spacing, the Blade Charge's recovery time on block will vary, and besides that...Kitana's f2 has great reach, but is not exactly the fastest move and therefore not the most reliable punisher. Keep that in mind next time.
It became painfully apparent from watching this that you have not played a Baraka which specializes in great spacing and defense. You weren't watching for his d4, which has the same length as Sonya's and therefore can prove annoying. The threat of the Blade Charge helps Baraka to control spacing, kind of like how Raiden's superman can do so as well. As far as trading projectiles goes, you need to get your instant air-fans lower than they were in this fight, you can beat out Baraka's trade and recover fast enough to block his as long as you don't throw your fan after the Blade Spark comes out.
The second match, Sonya vs. Baraka:
After the first round of this fight finished, I narrowed my eyes and thought, "Tetra has gotten inside his head." Your rushdown was a tad disorganized and without thought. You allowed him to punish your whiffed divekicks which you threw out to make up for the times you jumped in - do NOT do that if the distance of your jump is insufficient. Contrary to what some believe, the recovery of Sonya's Arc Kick and divekick on whiff is not all that impressive, she is still susceptible to whiff punishes.
This match-up is so in Sonya's favor, it's not even funny. 7-3, actually. You don't need to play the projectile game with him, in my opinion...and speaking of the projectiles, WHY did you try to trade with him when you had so little health left?! A cardinal rule of trading is that if even one more projectile will end you, stop throwing them out for good and just carefully work your way in. Doing otherwise is just asking to give up the round.
Another thing. You threw some rings while within attacking distance of Baraka. You know that the purpose of projectiles is to attack from afar, not up-close. At such a close range, Sonya's rings leave her at negative on block more so than a large amount of her attacks...I believe -9 would be it. I'll need to recheck. Bottom line, learn to utilize her rings better.
Baraka's Blade Charge is a threat on spacing, but so is Sonya's shoulder charge from her Military Stance. Why have you not used it? This is another reason Baraka loses the match-up: both characters share this threat, but her charge is safe on block. Also, abuse her stance mix-ups more, I don't think Baraka is really equipped to deal with that at all.
In general:
From this point on, don't bother trying to counter cross-ups with d1 anymore. It is not worth the risk of eating a combo just because your d1 failed, this has happened too many times. From this point on, use armored moves or uppercuts (depending on your character), or just jumpkick or dash out. You will get your chance to punish the opponent for a mistake in time, no fight ever goes by without errors in a player's judgment.
I see that Baraka's b1 overhead took you by surprise so many times that it cost you the series. Tetra utilized this tool so well as part of his spacing, and his mix-ups were on point. Don't let Baraka bait you out, you want it to be the other way around. Don't just throw out the divekick blindly, use it as a threat to ensure safe jump-ins and a guaranteed blockstring into stance mix-up, all while making sure you're at the range to do so. If it whiffs right next to them, you can get pummeled in a manner just like what was demonstrated here...and don't get me started on what happens if it gets blocked.
I think that covers my thoughts. If I have any more to add, I will do so.
And...in regards to your venting about your performance, let me just say this: I felt the same way when I lost at Dallas. We both know that we could have done better. The fact of the matter is, we lack the experience in big tournaments compared to the veterans. Because of this, we're bound to be exposed to something that we're just not prepared for. This doesn't mean you are not a good player, it just simply means that there are holes in your knowledge that can be closed up.
In time, nerves won't be as much of a problem as they originally are. They aren't for me anymore...that choke I experienced on stage against
EGP_TYRANT was due to complete stupidity on my part. Same against
Madzin. After losing to Tyrant, I got mind-fucked and tried desperately to keep it together.
I can't tell you how to feel about how you did, but I can tell you right now that you
are one of those players who will not let shit like this hold him back, and when next you are exposed to this competitive environment, you'll have a better standing. If anyone starts to think you're washed up...take it as motivation. Your time to shut those fuckers up will come, but only if you strive for it.
Hang in there. You know I'm around to talk to if you need a friend.
